A Phenomenological Model for Degradation of Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Anodes Due to Impurities in Coal Syngas

A new phenomenological one-dimensional model is formulated to simulate the typical degradation patterns observed in Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) anodes due to coal syngas contaminants such as arsenic (As) and phosphorous (P). The model includes ordinary gas phase diffusion including Knudsen diffusion and surface diffusion within the anode and the adsorption reactions on the surface of the Ni-YSZ based anode. Model parameters such as reaction rate constants for the adsorption reactions are calibrated to match the degradation rates reported in the literature. Preliminary results from implementation of the model demonstrated that the deposition of the impurity on the Ni catalyst starts near the fuel channel/anode interface and slowly moves toward the active anode/electrolyte interface which is in good agreement with the experimental data. Parametric studies performed at different impurity concentrations, operating temperatures and current densities showed that the coverage rate increases with increasing temperature, impurity concentration and current density, as expected.